HTC Vive Standalone VR Headset Unveiled for China

HTC has announced a new VR headset that is a standalone unit needing no smartphone or PC and is aimed directly at the Chinese market. The new product appears to be called the Vive Standalone VR and is powered by the VIVEPORT content platform. It was announced at the ChinaJoy 2017 show.

“China is the leading mobile market in the world today, and has the momentum to lead the global VR market as well,” said Alvin W. Graylin, China Regional President of Vive, HTC. “Partnering with Qualcomm to deliver an easy to use and more affordable Vive VR system will enable us to make premium standalone VR widely accessible to the masses in China.”

HTC promises that the new standalone VR headset is designed to be a more affordable VR device that still delivers a high-quality VR experience. HTC notes that the standalone device will expand the Vive family beyond the PC-based experiences that it offers currently with its other headset. The device is powered by the Snapdragon 835 mobile VR platform.

“Snapdragon 835 is designed to deliver superior VR experiences without the need for wires or a separate PC,” said Hugo Swart, Senior Director, Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “We are thrilled to work with HTCs Vive team as they utilize our rich feature set to create exciting, new VR experiences in the first truly mobile VR headset of the Vive ecosystem.”

HTC says that Snapdragon 835 platform is designed specifically to support built-in VR functionality and to allow developers to release more content quickly. HTC has offered no official launch date or pricing details. There is also no indication that the headset will come to other countries at this time.